Snatelum Point

My absolute favorite place to crab is actually Puget Sound Crabbing Marine Area 8-1, which is off of Whidbey Island near Coupeville, called Snatelum Point. You can literally toss your crab pots out among many other crab pots but still you will be assured your crab pots will be full after only a couple hours of soaking. I’m not sure what it is about this place but the Dungeness crab are thick. I usually only get up to area Marine area 8-1 about once as I am boating up to the Whidbey Island Arts Festival to meet friends. If you’re located in this area that is a great crabbing spot you will limit out for sure. Look for Snatelum Point on your GPS.

PUGET SOUND CRABBING – MARINE AREA 8-1 – Close Up

If we look at Snatelum Point close up you can see that it is shallow, muddy, and has plenty of eelgrass which extends out into the main channel. Dungeness crabs are veracious bottom feeders and have a wide-ranging diet. But the one thing I believe that brings the crabs into this area in large masses is the underwater variety of mussels and clams. Not only do the beaches around Snatelum Point contain butter clams and varnish clams, but think about what else is nearby? Penn Cove. Likely meaning that there are also mussels around in this underwater environment. You put all these factors together and you have a crab paradise.